Happy Valentine's Day
by Randall Flagg
Summary: NEW Ch's 9, 10 + 11. . Set in S2. This is a story about events that flow from Xander being dumped on Valentines Day. It won't be all roses and goodness either, there WILL be character deaths. Feedback Please!
1. Chapter 1

Background: Season 2 - Angel has been told of his curse by Jenny, and has not slept with Buffy and therefore not turned evil. Oz is still in the background and may or may not make an appearance here. Giles is seeing Jenny, Angel is with Buffy and Xander is with Cordy. Poor Willow is on her lonesome. = thoughts, "" = speech.  
  
1 Month Earlier Sunnydale Outskirts  
  
Abandoned Catholic Church  
  
The ritual to restore Drusilla had been thwarted, but only just. Fists flew and blood was spilt before Drusilla and Spike were trapped under the pipe organ that spanned one side of the wall near the altar.  
  
Some time later Drusilla awoke amongst the debris to find Spike still unconscious. She belatedly noticed that her favourite piece of jewellery was also missing. Reluctantly leaving it behind somewhere in the ruins of the church, Dru carried Spike back to the factory basement they had been using as a hideaway.  
  
Not two days later a young boy playing truant from his local primary school broke into the Church on a dare and found a nice silver necklace among the rubble. He sold it the same day to a local merchant for a few dollars so that he could fix up his old bike.  
  
Present Day.  
  
thought Xander. I had done everything right for once. For the first time I felt like I was almost a normal person, with a girlfriend and a better than slim chance of graduating from this hell-infested school. Then Cordy had sacrificed him over her friends and dumped him like last night's cold dinner.  
  
Then later that afternoon Xander had caught Amy as she brainwashed the teacher into believing that her homework had been handed in. Now lying in his bed at night, a thought came to Xander that kept him awake for the next two hours as he plotted his revenge on the girl who had ground his heart into the dirt. It wasn't the vengeance kind of revenge, there was some malice intended, but mainly he wanted Cordy to feel what it was like to be treated like that, like some beetle that had crawled out from a rock and needed to be squashed.  
  
Xander woke to his alarm at 7.15am, showered and dressed before making his way downstairs to the kitchen. As usual his parents were sound asleep recovering from last night's revelry. Xander knew better than to make too much noise while making breakfast. Although it was unlikely that any sound less than a jackhammer outside their window would wake them, he had learnt by now that mornings were best spent away from hung over parents, lest they take their frustrations out on him.  
  
On the way to school Xander saw that the news from yesterday had found its way all around the school, and he tried to ignore the whispered laughter and behind the back finger pointing that increased the closer he got to Sunnydale High.  
  
"Yeah, laugh all you want you cretins, I don't see you hanging with any girls" he said loudly to the latest bunch of three boys who were laughing at his expense.  
  
Xander saw Buffy and Willow up ahead and turned right from the hallway to avoid them. Willow surely would spot straight away that he was up to something, and between them both they would undoubtedly find out what he was up to, and then talk him out of it. They could wrap him around their little fingers, especially Buffy - and he knew it as well as they did. So Willow and Buffy would have to wait until after he had spoken with Amy and done his special task for the day. As Xander was thinking about this he spotted Amy coming towards him and quickly reached out and dragged her into the closest classroom, which thankfully was empty.  
  
"Xander, what are you doing? Let go of my arm" said Amy, who was getting more annoyed by the second.  
  
"Hello Amy", said Xander calmly. "Been doing any witchcraft lately?"  
  
Amy looked flustered, but quickly caught herself and started talking at 100 miles per hour "Xander you know it was my Mum who was the witch, she switched our bodies and.."  
  
"..and I saw you hoodwink Mrs Stanton into believing you handed in your homework yesterday too" interrupted Xander. "C'mon Amy, I know it runs in the family. All I need to keep my silence is a small favour from you."  
  
Amy looked at Xander suspiciously. "What sort of favour?"  
  
"Well it would kinda involve a spell. A love spell"  
  
"Oh no Xander. They are way too dangerous, trying to make someone love you forever is really complicated, and the effects can be unpredictable, plus.."  
  
"Whoa, whoa there. Nobody said anything about eternal love here. All I want is for Cordelia to still have a thing for me so I can dump her and see how she likes it. It's about time someone taught her other people's feelings matter too."  
  
"Well that makes sense" said Amy, as a wry smile came to her face. "I heard about what happened yesterday. For what it's worth, I'm sorry" she said sincerely.  
  
"Thanks Amy, but there's no need for sorry. There is only one way Cordy is going to learn from this, and I intend to be the teacher for this particular lesson. Saddle up, class is in session" said Xander, rubbing his hands together in anticipation. "When can we do the spell?"  
  
"Well" started Amy, hesitantly. "Why don't you meet me here at lunch and we'll do it then. Oh, and you will need something of hers if it's going to work properly."  
  
Xander broke into a wide grin as he thought of exactly what he could get from Cordelia so the spell could be done. It was fitting, and finally the gift he had chosen after hours of searching could finally be put to good use.  
  
Xander's last class before lunch was History, and one that he shared with Cordelia. So when the bell went, he made sure he was out the door right behind her and followed her to the lockers. Once there Xander gathered up his remaining confidence and walked right up to Cordelia. "Hi Cordy."  
  
Cordelia rolled her eyes and quickly scanned the hallway to make sure neither Harmony or Aura could see her talking to Xander Harris again. "What is it Xander?" she said harshly, "have you turned into stalker boy now?"  
  
"Hardly. I've just come to get my necklace back" said Xander, watching the last remaining shreds of his dignity flow out of his faded jeans and onto the polished floor below.  
  
Cordelia turned in a huff, and hidden from view behind her locker door removed the necklace from around her neck while dishing out one final insult, "it figures. Anyway, I didn't like it in the first place, so you can gladly have it back" said Cordelia, her tone of voice not betraying her true feelings that she was upset to have to give it back, and upset that Xander had asked.  
  
Xander reached out as he saw the flash of silver from behind the locker door, and quickly took the necklace from Cordelia. As he started to walk away he turned his head back to her and said "I'm going to melt it down to scrap metal, just the same as you did to me yesterday" and walked off.  
  
Xander arrived in the classroom to find Amy already there. She looked pensive as Xander handed over the necklace that he had given Cordelia for Valentines Day, right before she dumped him.  
  
"Are you really really sure you want to do this Xander? Love spells are tricky and sometimes have weird side effects" asked Amy.  
  
"Yep. I'm sure. I want Cordelia to feel like she can't live without me. Then we'll see why people who live in glass houses have the shoe on the other foot" said Xander.  
  
"Uh Xander, it's meant to be 'people in glass houses shouldn't throw stones'" said Amy with a smile.  
  
"Yeah I knew that" Xander said defensively. "I think Cordelia has addled my brain. Can we just do the spell now Amy?" replied Xander.  
  
Amy took the necklace that Xander had given her and opened her book to a place she bookmarked earlier. Amy whirled the necklace over a jar of potion she had put together quickly while she was waiting. Xander sat and listened as Amy mumbled a few sentences of a language he did not understand. Then Amy dropped the necklace into the jar containing the potion, and there was a flash of bright light and then, nothing.  
  
"Is that it?" asked Xander.  
  
"I think so" replied a nervous Amy. "Did you feel anything?" she asked Xander.  
  
"No. But I'm not supposed to am I? Cordelia should be feeling an urge right about now." And with that he thanked Amy and headed out into the hallway to find the incomparable Cordelia Chase. thought Xander.  
  
Xander rounded the corner of the main corridor and spied Cordelia up ahead at a table with her usual cronies. Without a care in the world he strolled right up to her, leant over and said in a soft voice "Hello Cordelia. Miss me?"  
  
Cordelia stood up from the table to her full height and said in a very loud voice "Xander Harris leave me alone. Anyone would think you're stalking me. I swear you and the other two weirdo's you hang with belong in a laboratory."  
  
Xander took a couple of steps backward looking quite bemused, which to the approaching figures of Buffy and Willow looked rather strange, almost like he hadn't expected that reaction from Cordelia. thought Willow.  
  
Xander retreated with Buffy and Willow to the library so he could escape the funny looks he was getting from the remainder of Cordelia's fan club still seated at the table. Once they were safely inside Buffy said to Xander "Gee Xand, you really like causing pain and misery for yourself. First you date Cordelia, then after she dumps you you're still hanging around begging for more."  
  
"That's harsh Buffy" said Xander. "It would be nice to get a little support every now and again."  
  
"Xand you know how I feel about you and Cordelia. I told you that you could do way better. It upsets me to see that you are still clingy when it comes to her."  
  
"Buff I am not clingy. And besides, it's not like I have girls lining up outside the door to date me" Xander continued with a sad smile "plus the only other girl I'm interested in isn't available right now" and he shot a quick look at Buffy while he said it. At the same time he missed Willow's face drop in sadness at his off the cuff remark.  
  
By this time Xander was thinking that the love spell probably hadn't worked, and that was for the best anyway. He piped up as only Xander can, "lets forget Cordelia and other depressing matters of the heart. I'm here with my two bestest buds and tonight we are going to the Bronze to have a great time."  
  
"We are?" asked Willow, unsure where this had come from.  
  
"Yeah sure, we'll have a great time, and.."  
  
"..and I have to patrol" interjected Buffy.  
  
"..and I have an assignment to finish" said Willow.  
  
"Great!" continued Xander in the same upbeat tone of voice pretending that he hadn't heard a thing. "I'll go to the Bronze by myself like the big loser I am then go home to listen to country music - the music of pain!"  
  
Willow could sense the sadness in Xander's voice and leaned over to give him a hug. She made eye contact with Buffy and in the unspoken language that exists between girls Buffy got the message that they needed to cheer Xander up, and quickly.  
  
Buffy came over to where Willow and Xander were seated and said "look, lets go to the Bronze tomorrow night. I'll clear it with Giles, and we'll all go and eat lots of chocolate cookies and dance the night away." The rest of the lunch hour passed uneventfully and the three Scoobies went their separate ways to class with a promise to meet back in the library after school for some research before Buffy's patrol that night.  
  
Xander sat daydreaming through all his afternoon lessons, just imagining what would have happened if the spell had worked correctly. Time and time again Cordelia would come up to him, begging to be taken back, and he would reject her every time. Because of this he sat through class with a content grin on his face, and people assumed that he was already over yesterday's events when in fact he was far from it. 


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2  
  
The next day was Friday - the end of the school week, and Xander was looking forward to going to the Bronze and having a good time with Willow and Buffy. He caught up with them just before school started to check that all was still go for tonight.  
  
"Hey guys" said Xander. "Is Plan Bronze still a go?"  
  
"Sure it is" replied Buffy. "There has been no vamp activity lately and I've managed to convince Giles to let me go out tonight"  
  
"Yeah, you just told him how much of a basket case I was and I bet he said yes straight away" said Xander with a big grin.  
  
"We didn't actually say 'basket case' Xander" Willow replied for Buffy. "There might have been words used like, 'dumped', 'Valentines' and 'necklace', but there was no 'basket case' ".  
  
"Thanks Will, you really know how to cheer a guy up, don't you. Gee if you only knew the truth", said Xander wistfully.  
  
"The truth?" asked Willow and Buffy at the same time.  
  
"What, oh - nothing. I was just babbling" said Xander, trying to cover himself.  
  
"Xander" said Willow in her stern mother voice.  
  
"No" was all Xander could manage.  
  
"Xander". It was Buffy's turn.  
  
"No, really, nothing" said Xander, now backing away.  
  
"Xander!" said both Willow and Buffy.  
  
"Oh what the hell. It can't hurt now, the spell didn't work anyway" confessed Xander.  
  
"Spell, what spell?" said Buffy quickly.  
  
"Well after, you know, with Cordelia. I was upset, and let me tell you not planning revenge of any kind" Xander said justifiably. "And then I saw Amy working some mojo on one of her teachers. I, uh, convinced her to do a spell for me. A love spell"  
  
"Oh Xander. I never knew you were so head over heels for Cordelia" said Willow sadly. "But a love spell is a dangerous thing. They can have all sorts of unintended side effects".  
  
"Yeah Amy told me the same thing" said Xander. "But all I wanted to do was put Cordelia through the same thing that she did to me, so hopefully she would realise that other people have feelings too, and that you just can't trample all over them without caring."  
  
"Geez" said Willow. "Splitting the atom, flying to the Moon, cloning animals- these are all things that people can do. But teaching Cordelia that other people have feelings too, that's just too far out there" replied Willow seriously.  
  
Buffy was about to say her piece when she was interrupted by the bell signalling the start of school. The three of them ran off to their various classes with a quick promise to meet at the library after school to organise their night out.  
  
Later the same afternoon after class Buffy, Xander and Willow sat sprawled around the large wooden table in the library, while Giles pottered around in the stacks reshelving books.  
  
The Scoobies were casually talking about their plans for the night, along with the different things that could have happened had Amy's spell worked. The gang were laughing at the thought of Cordelia following Xander around all day like a homesick puppy that had lost its way.  
  
Willow could see that Xander had begun to genuinely cheer up again and was also secretly thankful that the spell hadn't worked. 'You can never tell what might go wrong when trying a love spell.' thought Willow.  
  
A little while later they all went home with a promise to meet at the Bronze at 8pm.  
  
Abandoned Factory Sunnydale Outskirts  
  
Spike had still not recovered from his encounter with the pipe organ, and was confined to a wheelchair for the time being. He had not realised how frustrating it must have been for Drusilla to have to rely on him to do everything while she was weak. Now that Drusilla had regained her strength and he was the weak one, Spike was constantly on edge and short tempered because of his current state of uselessness.  
  
He was unable to argue with Drusilla when she insisted it was time to make the Slayer pay for what she had done.  
  
"Dru honey" Spike pleaded. "I want the Slayer dead as much as you do, and normally I'm all for haste. But don't you think we should wait until I get my strength back?"  
  
"Spike my love. I'm not going to kill her tonight" replied Dru in a dreamy voice.  
  
"The Slayer has been naughty and must be punished. The Moon has spoken to me, and now is not the time. We can punish her later, once we get rid of her beastly friends."  
  
"You are my dark princess" said Spike from his wheelchair. "Tell me then, what are you planning to do?"  
  
"Watch. And wait. We need information about the Slayer and her friends" continued Drusilla. "  
  
"Dru" Spike called out to her as she was leaving. "Bring me back someone to eat". 


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter 3  
  
The Bronze  
  
Xander arrived precisely at 8pm on the dot, and to his eternal surprise found Willow and Buffy out the front waiting for him.  
  
"Ladies" called out Xander. "To what do I owe the pleasure of your punctuality?"  
  
"Chocolate cookies" said Buffy, and grabbed Xander's hand with her left and Willow's with her right and dragged them into the Bronze, heading straight for the food bar.  
  
Unseen on a rooftop overlooking the Bronze was Drusilla, who at the sight of Xander had to literally stop herself from jumping down there to be with him. She had a unassailable urge that had just come from nowhere. Quickly she scurried off to find some assistants to help her with her new plan.  
  
Inside the Bronze Buffy, Xander and Willow were having a great time. All three of them had managed to forget about whatever troubles they were going through lately and just have pure fun. Willow even allowed herself to be dragged up to the dance floor, it was a going to be as good a night as any that they had spent together.  
  
Drusilla made her way to an old vampire nest she suspected still existed in a abandoned shop, down a narrow alley not too far from the Bronze. Drusilla broke down the front door and was pleased to find some vampires still living there. They were in the middle of feeding from a middle aged woman when the four of them turned as one as their front door was kicked in.  
  
Drusilla entered the nest in game face and held up her hand to signal she wasn't a threat. "I didn't come here to steal your food. I'm looking for help in killing the Slayer."  
  
"Yeah lady, funny joke" said their leader, making his way towards Drusilla.  
  
"I've seen her, she's at the Bronze with two friends, unarmed, no stakes" said Drusilla. This changed the vampires attitude and their leader turned back towards the other three with a look that said 'how about it?'.  
  
Drusilla continued, "five of us, one unarmed Slayer. Plus two of her defenceless friends. You will be famous, and then this town can be ours."  
  
One of the vampires still feeding from the woman stood up and with blood dripping from his mouth said "Yeah, lets do it. Ain't never gonna be a better time than now."  
  
So in unspoken agreement the four vamps crowded around Drusilla as she explained what she wanted them to do.  
  
It was after midnight and Willow, Xander and Buffy were leaving the Bronze. All three of them were on that natural high you get after a grand night out, and as they were walking home the girls were laughing at Xanders antics. Both Buffy and Willow were happy that Xander seemed back to his usual self.  
  
Not long after leaving the Bronze Buffy stopped them and said "be careful. I'm getting a weird feeling here." Just as Buffy said that the three of them heard a blood curdling scream come from an alley just up ahead on the opposite side of the road.  
  
Buffy turned to Willow and Xander and said forcefully "stay here. I'll sort this out" and sprinted off to the alley where the scream had originated. On turning the corner Buffy could see three vamps feeding off some unlucky guy. As they saw the Slayer they dropped their victim to the ground and retreated to the end of the alley.  
  
Buffy approached casually and said "I'm sorry, but dinner is no longer being served." She made her way past the guy they had been feeding on and towards the three vamps who were waiting for her advance.  
  
Willow and Xander had started walking along to the same alley when Xander heard movement near them. As he turned he started to warn Willow but before he could Drusilla had backhanded her from the side and knocked her out cold. Xander knew he was in deep trouble and knew Buffy was too far away to help. Drusilla approached him and gripped his arms in her cold hands with a strength he could not believe.  
  
Xander closed his eyes as he saw Drusilla's head angle towards his. He cringed in terror as he waited helplessly for her fangs to sink into his neck and was surprised when her lips met his in a tender kiss. She clamped one hand over his mouth then threw him over her shoulder and said "Come my love, let us away before the Slayer returns." As Drusilla left she saw Buffy approach and pull out a stake from under her jacket. Dru whispered softly to herself "I might have fibbed about the Slayer being unarmed. Naughty me."  
  
Buffy thought it was unusual that the vamps didn't either attack immediately or try and run away once they were discovered. she thought. Just then Buffy sensed movement behind her and turned slightly to see the victim was nothing of the sort. screamed Buffy in her mind. Quickly she pulled out a stake from under her jacket and attacked the lone vampire who had pretended to be being fed upon.  
  
It was at least five minutes later before Buffy was able to dispose of all four vamps. They had looked at her strangely when she had pulled out a stake, she thought.   
  
Buffy ran out of the alley and started "Sorry guys.." before she realised that something was wrong. Xander was nowhere to be seen and Willow was lying unconscious with a darkening purple bruise under her left eye. Buffy started to get very worried. "Xander" she screamed at the top of her voice, "Xander, where are you?". There was no reply.  
  
Quickly Buffy searched around to see if Xander was out cold or hurt nearby, but could find no sign of him. Reluctantly Buffy picked up Willow and headed as fast as she could towards Giles' house.  
  
Giles and Jenny had enjoyed a nice dinner together, and were sitting casually on the couch listening to music when the front door threatened to be knocked off its hinges. Giles raced up and opened it to find a tearful Buffy holding a very lifeless looking Willow over her shoulder. Hastily Giles ushered her in and directed Buffy to lie Willow on the couch.  
  
"Oh no! Willow" cried Jenny at the site of Willow with a huge bruise on her face.  
  
"Buffy, what on earth happened? I thought you weren't patrolling tonight" said Giles.  
  
"I wasn't Giles. Me, Willow and Xander went to the Bronze, and after we left I heard a scream from a nearby alley" said Buffy. She went on to explain what had happened and that Xander was missing.  
  
"Buffy I can't help but think that Xander's disappearance and your encounter in the alley are connected" said Giles, thoughtfully. "They drew you away from Willow and Xander and then closed the door on your retreat from the alley."  
  
"Oh no" wept Buffy. "This is all my fault".  
  
Giles looked at Buffy sternly. "No, it isn't Buffy. Unfortunately you were the victim of a rather well thought out scheme, the purpose of which looks like to have kidnapped Xander. I think if his captor wanted to kill him you would have found him dead next to Willow."  
  
Jenny had been tending to Willow and when she noticed her eyelids fluttering, called out to Giles. "Rupert. I think Willow is coming around."  
  
Giles and Buffy came over to the couch and knelt beside it. Willow slowly started to open her eyes and was clearly confused about where she was.  
  
"Willow" said Giles softly. "It's Giles, you're at my house. You were attacked earlier. Can you remember what happened?"  
  
Willow looked dazed for a few seconds, then sat up abruptly and said "Drusilla". 


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter 4  
  
Willow lay on the couch with Jenny holding a pack of frozen peas on the bruise under Willow's eye. Giles, Jenny and Buffy looked at each other as Willow finished telling them what little she had seen, just before she blacked out after being struck by Drusilla.  
  
"Oh no" said Jenny. "It's going to be a trap" and looked over at Giles who was nodding.  
  
"Yes that would make sense. Rather than confront you head on, Spike and Drusilla kidnap Xander and force you into a situation of their choosing" said Giles.  
  
"No way. I'm not going to let them hurt Xander" said Buffy. "Don't worry Will, I'll get him back. What we need to do is find out where they are and pay Spike and Drusilla a visit before they are expecting us."  
  
"So what are you planning?" asked Giles.  
  
"First, I need to get Angel. If anyone would know where Spike is hiding out, he will. Wait here, get some rest, I'll be back as soon as I can" and with that Buffy left and sprinted off into the night.  
  
Her plan had worked perfectly. Drusilla had convinced some eager but stupid vampires to take on the Slayer while she absconded with her love, Xander. The fact that she had told them the Slayer was unarmed mattered not to her. She ran off, her lover safe now in her keeping.  
  
Drusilla headed back to the vampires nest that was now conveniently empty, and headed straight up the stairs to the first floor. She opened the first door she came to and on seeing an old bed, laid Xander upon it and shut the door behind her.  
  
As soon as he hit the bed Xander was up and trying to open the window, but Drusilla was too quick for him and he felt her strong arms envelop him and deposit him back on the bed.  
  
Drusilla laid on her side next to Xander and began to softly stroke his chest.  
  
"My love, trying to make a hasty retreat. Bad boy!" said Drusilla, her eyes aflame.  
  
Xander was trying to make sense of all that had happened in the last couple of minutes. They had heard a scream, Buffy had run to investigate, and before he could say 'boo' Drusilla had appeared, knocked out Willow and taken him captive. But why?  
  
Xander had expected to be tortured or at least tied up and held as bait, while Drusilla and Spike laid a trap for Buffy. But that didn't seem to be happening here. Then there was that kiss from Drusilla when he was expecting to be bitten. Xander was thoroughly confused. He remembered Angel saying that Drusilla was mentally unstable, but he never mentioned that she was just completely nuts.  
  
Buffy was still running hard when she reached Angel's mansion. Buffy flung open the door and ran straight to Angel who was alarmed at the sight of her, and could tell something was wrong just by the look in her eyes.  
  
"Buffy, what is it? What's happened?" said Angel, suddenly concerned.  
  
"Xander, it's Xander. Drusilla has taken him and we need to find her and Spike NOW!" said Buffy in between deep breaths.  
  
"Hold on Buffy. Slow down and tell me everything that happened" said Angel, more calmly than he felt.  
  
Buffy narrated what had happened quickly and concisely, at the same time trying not to panic at the thoughts running through the back of her mind about Xander's welfare.  
  
"So Spike was nowhere to be seen?" asked Angel rhetorically. "That's unusual. If he and Dru were involved in something I would expect Spike to be right in the thick of it. You know him Buffy, he's not the type to sit back and not get involved, especially when it comes to Slayers. He obsesses about them, seeks them out. If Xander was taken as a lure to trap you, it doesn't make sense that Spike wasn't there taunting you or doing the kidnapping himself."  
  
"Look Angel, we can examine the motives later. Right now I just want to find Xander and get him home, safe" said Buffy, rather impatiently.  
  
"Don't lose hope Buffy. Look at it like this. If what you say is true, then Drusilla had all the time in the world to kill both Xander and Willow. Yet she left Willow lying there defenceless and took Xander away unharmed."  
  
"You're right" said Buffy. "But I'll still feel a whole lot better once we find Xander and get him back safely. If they hurt any part of him I'll kill them so painfully they'll beg like dogs to be put out of their misery."  
  
Angel and Buffy made their way back to Giles' apartment as fast as they were able. When they arrived they found Willow had recovered from the blow, but would have a souvenir of it for several days to come.  
  
Giles had brewed some tea and once Buffy had poured herself a cup she joined everyone else around the dining table. They poured over a map of Sunnydale trying to find a likely area where Spike and Drusilla would have taken up residence. Even in a town of Sunnydale's meagre size there were too many places to be searched in one night.  
  
It was quickly decided to stick together and search the most likely places first. Before everyone stood up to leave, Angel asked them to hear him out for just a minute.  
  
"Look, you all know that Xander and I aren't the best of friends, I don't want anything to happen to him more than you do. I wouldn't wish this situation on my worst enemy, but you have to be careful. Hope for the best, but prepare for the worst. And the worst is that Xander has been turned. I won't go into details, but some can be sired the same night and others rise the next day after sunset. If Xander has been turned, he won't be like any normal vampire, ok? He knows about the Slayer, and he's been fighting demons etc for about 2 years now. He won't be some easybeat that you can stake quickly and head home for tea and biscuits. I suggest that we all take a spray bottle filled with Holy Water. If we come across Xander, spray him with it. If he's ok, it won't matter, and if he's not - then at least you know."  
  
"That's good advice Buffy" said Giles.  
  
"Yeah, ok. I hope it doesn't come to that, but it makes sense. Can you see what you have in your laundry Giles, and I'll grab your Holy Water from the cupboard" said Buffy, still trying to hope for the best.  
  
Five minutes later the gang was ready to leave, and they crowded into Giles' tin can for the ride to their first destination. 


	5. Chapter 5

Chapter 5  
  
Giles pulled up outside the old boarding house that had gone out of business two years ago. It was the closest abandoned building to the church where Spike had attempted to drain the life force out of Angel to cure Drusilla.  
  
Everyone piled out and made their way towards the derelict building. From the outside it looked like it had remained uninhabited since it closed down. Giles started to give instructions, "Buffy if you take Willow and try the back, Angel and I will go in the front."  
  
But Buffy was having none of that. Impatiently she walked up to the front door and kicked it off its hinges.  
  
"Or we could all go in the front" said Angel with a straight face.  
  
Willow and Giles hung to the rear while Buffy and Angel searched the building. But it was obvious there had been no inhabitants here, human or otherwise.  
  
Buffy came back downstairs and with a shake of her head indicated that she had found nothing. Everyone stood for a moment alone with their thoughts, each afraid to voice their growing concern that Xander's time was running out.  
  
Giles lead the way back to the car, and once everyone was in drove off as fast as his vehicle could manage. He pulled up outside a pay phone to call Jenny, who had stayed behind at his apartment to wait for any message that may be delivered. Jenny answered on the first ring, and inside the car they could all see Giles' head sink as he heard that there had been no news.  
  
Giles got back in and turned to Buffy and Willow in the back, "there's been nothing, no news. I don't want to give up hope but ."  
  
"We'll find him Giles" said Buffy firmly. Giles nodded even though he suspected Buffy was trying to convince herself more than him.  
  
Giles turned to Angel in the front. "Is there anything else you can think of, places that Spike usually stays at, anything at all."  
  
Angel shook his head. "Spike has no pattern. He stays at the first place he finds, he's not one to search around a whole lot."  
  
Giles grimaced "Superb. He picks random places, which means he could be anywhere."  
  
"Wait" said Willow in a loud voice. Giles and Angel both turned in surprise, hearing the urgency in Willow's voice.  
  
Willow addressed Angel. "Spike came to Sunnydale by car didn't he?"  
  
"Yes" said Angel.  
  
"And Spike would have come from the east. He didn't head south from Los Angeles did he?" continued Willow.  
  
"No, Spike was making his way slowly across America from New York, he has never been to LA" answered Angel, now clearly confused.  
  
"Then that's it!" said Willow.  
  
"Huh" said Buffy. "I'm lost here"  
  
"Angel said Spike doesn't go looking for places, he crashes at the first one he finds" said Willow, now very excited.  
  
"And that means what, exactly?" asked Giles, confused as everyone else.  
  
"It means he will be in a place near the Eastern Highway on the way into Sunnydale. He couldn't be in the centre of town, he'd be spotted too easily, so he must be somewhere along that road but not too far away" explained Willow.  
  
Giles gunned the motor as Buffy leaned over to hug Willow, "Will's you're a genius".  
  
Willow smiled at Buffy and kept her poker face. Inwardly she was terrified. I just hope we get there in time, thought Willow.  
  
Giles slowed the car as they entered the most likely area where Spike and Drusilla were hiding out. There was an industrial estate on one side of the road and an abandoned factory on the other. They decided to check the factory first.  
  
Buffy got out and looked around quickly to get her bearings. On spotting the main entrance, she went through her plan, speaking softly so as not to give away any surprise. "Giles, you and Willow wait here. Keep an eye out while Angel and I head over and check out the building. We'll wave you over when we're ready."  
  
"Ok Buffy. Be careful" said Giles, and ducked down to stay out of sight.  
  
Buffy and Angel made their way over to the factory as quickly and quietly as they could. Sneaking up to the main entrance Angel peered in through the glass and was able to spot a staircase heading down, but there was no sign of any activity. Angel and Buffy split up to check out the sides of the building for any other access points, but there were none to be found. Buffy waved to Giles and Willow to make their way over.  
  
Buffy told Giles what she thought. "This doesn't look great. This door seems to lead downstairs, but we can't see what's down there. I guess there is another door round the back, but we should stick together, right?"  
  
"Yes that sounds fair enough" said Giles. "Are you ready Willow?"  
  
"No." said Willow, still trying to psyche herself up for this.  
  
"Ok, lets go then" said Angel.  
  
Buffy tried the door handle and it was unlocked, the door opened silently beckoning them into the darkness below. Angel made his way down first because of his heightened night vision, but even he was struggling to make out any details of the surroundings beneath them. Slowly the gang made their way down the staircase to the factory floor below. Once they all reached the bottom everyone paused for a minute to try and let their eyes adjust to the darkness. There was nothing but complete silence, and it was hard to imagine that anyone else could be down there without making any noise at all.  
  
Eventually the gang headed off to the left towards the closest wall. Buffy noticed a light switch close by and pointed to it to ask if she should flip the switch. Giles shrugged and then nodded, thinking that if it was a trap then both parties would be equally blinded by the sudden light.  
  
Wincing, Buffy hit the switch and the factory came alight. Quickly they all looked around but there was nobody to be seen, the factory was deserted. Angel headed off to investigate a hallway on the other side of the floor, while Giles, Buffy and Willow searched the main floor for any clues to Xander's whereabouts.  
  
Not a minute later Angel came running out and called to the gang, "I think you need to come and have a look at this." Quickly the three of them ran over and went into the room that Angel was pointing to. Inside there was an old fashioned double bed and several old dolls lined up on a chest of drawers.  
  
Pointing at the dolls, Angel said "these are Drusilla's, I'd know them anywhere. She wouldn't leave them behind if she could possibly help it. This is where they have been staying."  
  
"So where is Xander then?" asked Buffy, now angry and frustrated.  
  
"I have no idea" said Angel softly.  
  
"Giles?" said Buffy, turning to her watcher for advice.  
  
"I don't know Buffy. We can stay here and stake out the factory, wait for Spike and Drusilla to return. Assuming they still have Xander, that would probably be the best idea. Then make our entrance after sunrise to give us the greatest advantage."  
  
"Ok" said Buffy, "lets head outside and wait for fangface to show up. He better not have hurt Xander, or I'll break every bone in his body before I dust him"  
  
"I'll stay as long as I can, it's still a few hours before first light" said Angel.  
  
And with that, the gang switched off the lights and made their way outside to find a hiding place to keep an eye on the factory. 


	6. Chapter 6

Chapter 6  
  
In the abandoned shop near the Bronze, the weirdness continued for Xander Harris. For the last five minutes he had been listening to Drusilla talking about her love for him in her own deranged way. To be honest, Xander found some of the things she talked about doing to him intriguing, if anatomically a bit hard to imagine.  
  
In her human face Drusilla was not exactly uneasy on the eyes. Xander had to keep reminding himself that this was a vampire, a soul-less creature that would soon as tear out his throat as look at him. As frightened as he was, Xander commanded himself to keep calm and wait for the right situation to try and make his escape.  
  
"I knew as soon as I saw you tonight that you were my eternal love" said Drusilla softly.  
  
"Don't you feel it too?" she asked Xander.  
  
"Ah , yeah I do" answered Xander, just to keep Drusilla calm.  
  
"I want you Xander. Fill me with your love" Drusilla whispered intimately in Xander's ear.  
  
. Thoughts were going through Xander's head at a million miles per hour, but the way to get out of this was not one of them.  
  
Before he could think of what to do, Xander found himself being slowly undressed by Drusilla. I'm about to have freaky vampire sex! Stop it - must find a way to escape. Drusilla was on top of Xander now, unbuttoning his shirt and caressing his chest with her other hand.  
  
"Xander, how do you feel about eternal life?" asked Drusilla, having finished undoing his shirt.  
  
"Look this is going very quickly. Couldn't we start with dinner and a movie?" said Xander, trying to keep his tone light-hearted and avoid panicking.  
  
"I want us to be together, forever" continued Dru, as though she hadn't heard Xander speak at all.  
  
Xander quickly realised that this was going downhill fast, and not at all in the way he expected. Before he could think to scream, Drusilla inclined her head and fangs bared, bit into the side of Xander's neck.  
  
It wasn't anything like what he had expected. It was wildly erotic and overwhelmingly terrifying at the same time. The breath had escaped from his lungs and he couldn't yell, couldn't call out. Xander's arms began flailing wildly, his legs kicking; and slowly Drusilla drained him.  
  
Feeling her lover's heart slow beneath her, Drusilla pulled back and used the nail on her index finger to cut herself just under her neck. She pulled Xander so he was sitting upright and held his mouth to the fresh trickle of blood escaping from the open wound.  
  
Xander felt himself being raised, which added to the feeling of light- headedness he was experiencing. His first instinct was to try and draw breath, and in so doing ingested some of the blood from the small incision Drusilla had made moments earlier.  
  
Drusilla felt Xander's mouth up against her chest and knew that he had swallowed enough of her blood to be turned. Realising there was nothing more she could do for her lover but wait, she set Xander down on the bed and waited for the process to begin.  
  
Xander's heart was working furiously to pump what blood was left in his body to the places that needed it. Circulation to the arms and legs ceased as the heart directed blood flow to the brain so the body could stay alive. It was ultimately futile. Not two minutes later, Xander's heart beat for the last time - then stuttered and stopped completely.  
  
Drusilla could always sense the moment of death, and this case was no different. But once she felt the heart slow then stop altogether it was like a veil being lifted from her eyes, and she wondered what she was doing here, in this room, with a friend of the Slayer's. Drusilla tried to recall what had brought her here and couldn't, tried to remember what had happened, and failed. She remembered leaving the factory, and heading off to spy on the Slayer, but after that it was like a mist had descended on her brain and she couldn't make anything out.  
  
After gathering her thoughts for a few moments Drusilla saw something shiny and silver protruding slightly from Xander's trouser pocket. Xander had kept the chain because he intended to try and sell it back to the jeweller that he bought it from, but ultimately couldn't bring himself to do it.  
  
Leaning over, Dru pulled it out and screamed with delight when she found that it was her necklace that had been lost in the church. Forgetting the mystery of what had happened and where she was, Drusilla put it around her neck and headed out to find her way back to the factory.  
  
Several hours later and Xander's body had cooled to room temperature. This was the catalyst to rise and become one of the undead. Xander sat up and surveyed his surroundings. He noticed that he was in a room with an east facing window, and decided it was time to find somewhere more suitable to bed down. Looking at his watch he saw there were about 2 hours left till sunrise. thought Xander. As he strode out of the building he uttered one word, "Cordelia".  
  
Xander made his way in quick time to the more affluent area of Sunnydale where Cordelia lived. He recalled the one time quite recently when Cordelia's parents were away and he had come back to her house to make out. Xander made his way round to the side of the house where Cordelia's bedroom was, picked up a small pebble and lobbed it gently at the window.  
  
There was a loud 'crack' as the stone hit the glass, and Xander was clearly surprised by his own strength. He was about to try again when he heard the window being lifted and the familiar face of Cordelia appeared.  
  
"Xander! Are you a lunatic? You'll wake my parents. What are you doing?" whispered Cordelia, just loud enough for Xander to hear her. He could feel the venom in her voice and inwardly smiled before he replied.  
  
"Cordy, I'm sorry. I've been attacked. I need to get help, quickly" said Xander, and lifted his head so Cordelia could see the blood stains still on his shirt.  
  
"Oh God Xander. Wait right there, I'll come down" said Cordelia, obviously concerned.  
  
A few seconds later there was the metallic click of a lock being opened, and Cordelia stepped out on to the porch in her white Calvin Klein robe. She took one look at Xander and saw the blood on his shirt, but no injuries that were obvious. It was early in the morning, and Cordelia had just woken up. Her brain was not in full gear.  
  
"Xander, all that blood!" said Cordelia quite shocked. "Are you sure you're ok?"  
  
"I am now" said Xander, and took two quick steps towards Cordelia and covered her mouth with his hand so she couldn't call for help.  
  
"I would prefer to hear you scream" said Xander evilly, "but I'm not in a mood for company right now."  
  
"I'd just like to thank you for dumping me on Valentine's Day. It's nice that we can enjoy this one last dinner together" said Xander, and warped his face into it's vampire form.  
  
Cordelia's eyes went wide with surprise and fear as she finally realised the full extent of her situation. Her last thought before Xander sang his fangs into her neck was of making out with Xander in the broom closet at school, and then everything went dark. 


	7. Chapter 7

Chapter 7  
  
Abandoned Factory Sunnydale Outskirts  
  
Giles, Angel, Buffy and Willow had spent the last hour watching the factory from a distance, hiding in the shadows waiting for Spike or Drusilla to show up. Unknown to them they had been spotted by Dru before they even set foot in the factory, and so the gang were waiting for someone that was never going to arrive.  
  
About an hour before first light, Giles offered Angel a lift back to his mansion. He also suggested to Buffy and Willow that they come along too. "Buffy, if Spike returns in the last hour before sunrise, he won't be going anywhere after that. We have all day to come back and investigate. Either way, Angel has to leave now. What do you want to do?"  
  
"I'm going to wait here Giles. Willow, you can go with Giles if you want, but I think someone needs to stay here" said Buffy.  
  
"I'll stay here with Buffy" said Willow in a low voice.  
  
Giles turned to the girls. "Ok, but for goodness sakes be careful! The last thing I want is to have to search for one of you as well. This is hard enough as it is" said Giles. As he said it he realised just how much everyone, including himself, would miss Xander, and it surprised him a little that he hadn't thought about Xander being so integral to the gang before now.  
  
Giles and Angel got into the car and drove off towards Sunnydale, the echo of the engine noise fading gradually into nothing. Buffy and Willow looked at each other in silence, then resumed their observation of the nearby factory. It wasn't long however before the familiar sound of Giles' car could be heard, and a minute later he pulled up with Angel still in the front seat.  
  
Buffy turned to face Giles with a quizzical look, as if to say 'why are you back so soon'?. Before she could give voice to the thought, Giles literally leapt out of the car and yelled out "quickly, get in" while motioning with his arm for both of them to hurry.  
  
Any pretence that they might have still been in hiding disappeared with Giles arrival. Buffy and Willow hurried over to Giles and got in the back seat of his car.  
  
"Giles, what is it. What's wrong?" asked Buffy, sensing bad vibes from Giles.  
  
Giles turned up the volume on the radio and said simply "listen".  
  
'. and to repeat this morning's breaking news, we have unconfirmed reports that the only daughter of Sunnydale's richest man, tax attorney William Chase was found murdered this morning in the front yard of their home. To date there has been no comment from either the family or police, but we will keep you informed when there are any developments to this tragic story. Again, the teenage daughter of ."  
  
"Switch it off" said Buffy in a cold voice.  
  
Giles leant forward and turned off the car radio, and for a long moment there was nothing but silence.  
  
Buffy spoke first, deflated. "So I guess that's it then."  
  
"No Buffy. We don't know for sure. It could have been an actual murder, it, it." began Willow, before breaking down into sobs at the harsh reality.  
  
Giles tried to remain optimistic "Buffy, we really should investigate further before we jump to any conclusions. There may be another explanation."  
  
"No" said Buffy, more harshly than she meant. "I can just feel it. I can't believe it but it makes sense" continued Buffy, saying the words but still not really believing them.  
  
"Cordelia may have been many things, but she wasn't stupid. If she was found in the front yard, then she came outside willingly, and that means she must have been lured outside by someone she trusted. Xander"  
  
Part of Buffy was waiting for someone to tell her she was wrong, that Xander was really ok. The other part was replaying the scene from earlier in the night, except this time Buffy did all the things that hindsight allows, and was able to prevent Xander from being taken. Each time after saving him in her mind Buffy had to face the reality that he was now lost for all time. It would be a while before Buffy realised that the job of killing vampire Xander would fall to her.  
  
Giles pulled out on to the road and drove silently down the highway heading back towards his apartment. Willow was staring blankly ahead, while Buffy still had her head between her knees with her hands covering her face. Neither of them were remotely capable of dealing with the situation right now. Giles was also in shock, but he knew that most likely there was a new vampire wandering about who had intimate knowledge of the Slayer's routines, methods and strategies. Giles rationalised that the Xander he had known was now dead, and instead he was dealing with a demon who had assumed his form and was now a real danger to all of them.  
  
Angel was watching the road pass by under him as his thoughts returned to the day he was sired and first rose as a vampire. He remembered the blood lust, the overwhelming thirst he experienced before first draining the man patrolling the cemetery. As Angel's thoughts returned to the present, he realised that Xander most likely was sired by either Spike or Drusilla. That would make him a little more powerful than the average vamp they came across day in, day out. For reasons Angel couldn't explain, he knew that somehow the vampire who turns you somehow passes on certain traits, almost like a mother to her child. 'Better find him quickly' thought Angel, 'before he gets to full strength.'  
  
1 Hour Earlier Chase Residence  
  
Xander finished draining Cordelia and let her corpse fall to the ground with a dull thud. There was no remorse, no conscience telling him his actions were wrong. He was hungry, he fed. So much the better that there had been an element of retribution in there too.  
  
Xander checked his watch again and saw that there was still about 90 minutes till sunrise. Not wanting to cut it too finely, he headed off towards the centre of Sunnydale to find somewhere to crash. Xander resisted the urge to pay his parents a visit, for now. Not only would the Slayer probably look there first, but after tasting the sweet fresh blood of Cordelia he didn't want to spoil the taste in his mouth with the filth circulating through his parents veins. 'Better to just go and get a bottle of Jack Daniels' thought Xander.  
  
As he walked along Xander hummed quietly to himself. He was surprised to find that although he didn't need to draw breath, he still could. Not wanting to lose focus, Xander dismissed the thought and turned his mind back to finding shelter before daylight. Mainly he wanted to find somewhere that Buffy and her cronies wouldn't think to search, because that just wouldn't do at all, especially during daylight. Within a few minutes of running through places in his head, Xander came upon the perfect hideaway.  
  
About a year after Jesse had died, his parents had left Sunnydale to try and make a fresh start and moved to the other side of the country. With real estate in a slump, they hadn't been able to sell their house and now almost twelve months later it was still uninhabited. Willow had always been more of a friend to Xander and had befriended Jesse only through his acquaintance, so when Jesse's parents had moved away Willow didn't know, and Xander thought that she probably still didn't know. That made it a perfect place to stay for the time being.  
  
'I only wish I hadn't staked him' thought Xander. As he remembered, he realised that he hadn't really staked him, a student fleeing the harvest had bumped into Jesse and impaled him on Xander's stake, but the result was the same. 'If Jesse were here now, we could really create some havoc' thought Xander almost regretfully.  
  
Xander made his way around the back of his dead friend's house. He tried the back door first and wasn't surprised to find it locked. He then continued around to a bedroom window, thrust his fist through the glass and unclasped the latch. Silently he climbed in, closed the window and the blinds, and headed for the master bedroom where he knew the only window there faced west. Reaching the bed, Xander flopped down on it and closed his eyes. Already he was looking forward to tonight, when he could begin on the idea that had occurred to him on the way over here - recruitments, starting with good old Willow. 


	8. Chapter 8

Chapter 8  
  
Giles' Apartment Mid Morning  
  
Willow entered listlessly and closed the door behind her. Everyone's heads sprung up and they all turned to her to see what news she had. Her looks said it all though, Xander had not returned home last night. Willow told the gang how she spoke to his parents, who were surprisingly sober for this time of the morning, then made up an excuse to check his room for a school book.  
  
"I went into his room, everything was there. I didn't tell his parents though, should I have? I mean, are they in danger now - it's his home, can't he just walk in?" said Willow.  
  
Angel answered that one. "No. He still has to be invited."  
  
"Well we have to warn them somehow" said Buffy, concerned. "Even though they're not the greatest Mom and Dad in the world they need to be told about the danger they're in."  
  
"And say what exactly?" asked Giles, rhetorically. "Sorry but your teenage son has been transformed into a vampire, a creature of the night and if you invite him in he will kill you and suck the blood out of you. Yes I'm sure that will work just fine."  
  
"Ok Giles no need to be sarcastic" said Buffy, sulking. "What do we do then? Is there a spell or something we can do?"  
  
"I know a spell that will uninvite a vampire" said Jenny. "I'm sure with Willow's help we can modify it to prevent an invitation from working."  
  
"Well I know that Xander's parents will be out tonight. His Dad plays poker on Saturday nights and his Mom has some women's group thingy. If we head over there about 8 o'clock that should give us time to do the spell" said Willow, happy to be thinking about anything else than last night.  
  
"Alright then. 8 o'clock tonight. We'll meet here at 7.30" confirmed Giles.  
  
"Fine. But I think I'll patrol tonight", said Angel from the kitchen. "Try a few different area's, see if he shows up." Privately Angel hoped that he would run into Xander tonight and kill him. Not only would it help preserve the memory of their friend as a human and not a vampire, but he seriously doubted if Buffy or the others could actually go through with staking Xander so soon after his death. That could prove costly later on.  
  
Angel retired upstairs to Giles' spare room to sleep for the remainder of the day, while the others went their separate ways home, with Willow promising to come back after lunch to help with the spell.  
  
Giles' Apartment 7.30pm  
  
Buffy was the last to arrive at Giles place. As usual she opened the front door without knocking and walked right in, causing Giles to roll his eyes and give a minor shake of his head. Seated at the table with him were Jenny and Willow, who had finished altering the spell only moments earlier and were now sorting the ingredients they needed for tonight.  
  
Buffy came up to the table and sat down without a word. The stress and worry of the situation had taken it's toll on her, as Buffy had told herself over and over again that it was all her fault before finally she fell asleep. Her dreams had not been any kinder to her, and time and again she saw Xander being killed by either Spike or Drusilla, or both.  
  
When she finally woke in a sweat two hours ago, a long cry under a cold shower had done little to soothe her soul. Giles could see by the rings under her eyes that Buffy was taking this hard. More of a surprise was Willow, who as far as Giles could ascertain had shown little or no emotion since the news of Cordelia's death early that morning. Had Giles been able to see inside Willow, he would have known that she was barely keeping it together and even then only by managing to focus on something else and not thinking about the previous night.  
  
Once Buffy had seated herself Giles began updating the group about what he had found out regarding Cordelia's death. "According to a contact I have in the Police," said Giles, "Cordelia was found on her front porch wearing a while dressing gown over her, uh, nightie. As for her physical condition, well without going into details, she had lost most of her blood and there was a large wound on the side of her neck. Completely consistent with a vampire attack, although that last part obviously wasn't part of the Police report."  
  
"I knew it" said Buffy, shaking her head. "And it's completely my fault"  
  
"That's enough Buffy!" said Willow forcefully.  
  
Shocked, Buffy looked at Willow wondering the reason for her attack.  
  
"We have to think of Xander here" continued Willow. "There isn't much we can do for Cordelia, and there is no way ANY of this is your fault. But think, if you were turned into a vampire, what's the first thing you would want us to do?" asked Willow.  
  
"I'd want you to stake me" said Buffy softly.  
  
"Damn tootin. That's what Xander would have wanted too. The only way we can save Xander now is to stake the vampire that has taken over his body" stated Willow.  
  
"Uh, actually there might be another way" said Jenny without a lot of conviction.  
  
All heads turned to her. "Huh?" said Willow, giving voice to everyone's thoughts.  
  
"Hear me out. Remember when I told you all my real reason for originally coming to Sunnydale, to make sure Angel was suffering with his curse?" said Jenny, and seeing everyone's heads nod, continued. "And remember I told you how that curse could be broken with a moment's happiness. Well since then I've been working on a pet project. You wouldn't know, but the original curse was in a Gypsy pidgin language that is no longer spoken. I've been working on a translation for two weeks now and I'm close to finishing it, translating the curse into English."  
  
"So what does that mean then?" asked Buffy. "That we can curse him and put his soul back?"  
  
"Yes, I'm hoping that is exactly right. But I'm waiting on a book I've ordered to come in. It contains some Gypsy words that I don't yet have the meaning for. Once I get the book I guess it would take a day or two and then I'll be ready" explained Jenny.  
  
"So when is the book due to arrive?" asked Giles.  
  
"Oh, should be here tomorrow".  
  
"Three days. I think we still need to do the prevention spell at Xander's house though" said Giles. "What are your thoughts Buffy?"  
  
"If we could get Xander back, I'm all for it. But what do we do in the meantime? We can't just sit around and let him kill people for three days, we need to do something now" answered Buffy.  
  
"Yes you're absolutely right. Lets get this spell done first, then we'll come back here and start making some plans" said Giles.  
  
With that the group of four left the apartment and crammed into the Gilesmobile for the trip over to Xander's place to do the spell. On arriving Willow got out and rang the front doorbell. After a minute with no answer, and no lights being on inside, Jenny and Willow made their way around the back to 'break in' so they could do the spell. Giles and Buffy stayed at the front until they got the signal that the two Wiccan's were inside.  
  
Willow was following Jenny and they had both just rounded the corner when Jenny gasped in surprise. That was the last sound she made before she was hit with a powerful blow and fell to the ground unconscious. Willow looked up in shock and saw a familiar face smiling at her.  
  
"Hello gorgeous" said Xander. 


	9. Chapter 9

Chapter 9  
  
Willow gasped at the sight of Xander right there in front of her. She drew breath sharply and let it out in a loud piercing scream that almost forced Xander to cover his ears.  
  
Buffy and Giles were still waiting around the front when they heard Willow's shriek. A split second later Buffy was running around to the back after whispering one word to herself, "Xander".  
  
"Hey hey hey, is that any way to greet old friends?" Xander asked Willow casually.  
  
Willow, slowly backing away, replied "We're not old friends. Xander is dead."  
  
"Well, yeah. But still - no kiss? No tongues, I promise" said Xander with a smile.  
  
At that time Buffy came round the corner at pace. She stopped next to Willow, happy to protect her than having to attack Xander, something she was not yet completely ready for.  
  
"Buffy!" said Xander in excitement. "How are you? I love the way your hair shines in the moonlight."  
  
Buffy actually looked up at the sky before answering. "There is no moonlight tonight Xander, the moon's in shadow."  
  
Xander turned as if talking to an imaginary friend "And people think I'm the dumb one!".  
  
"Anyway, Buff, thanks for joining us, I'm glad you're both here. I need to tell you something. I used to have a crush on you Buffy, but I've come to realise that I was a fool. There was a beautiful and intelligent girl who liked me and I never returned those feelings. I'm sorry for that Willow. I want to make it up to you. I choose you. Come with me, we'll be together for all time, you'll never die" said Xander.  
  
"No. It's not really you Xander" said Willow, taking a step forward without realising it.  
  
"Of course it's me silly. I've known you since the first day of kindergarten. I've been there for you every day since then. What has Buffy ever done for you, huh? I bet if it wasn't for her I would have noticed you more and we would be going out together. Isn't that what you wanted? Don't you want to be with me forever?" pleaded Xander.  
  
Willow was torn between telling herself that this wasn't really Xander, but yet hearing and reacting to all the things she had ever wished Xander would say to her. Had it not been for Buffy holding her elbow Willow might have let herself walk over to him, even though she knew what would happen. It scared her that part of her didn't care, it wanted to be with him regardless.  
  
While Xander was watching Willow struggle with herself, his hearing had recovered from her scream enough to detect movement behind him. Without even turning around, Xander called out "Giles. No need to be so sneaky. Come round the front with everyone else so I can get a good look at you, or you'll have to suffer the wrath of the deadly fart I'm brewing up inside me."  
  
Willow looked up at Xander and said "that's disgusting Xander." She then turned to Buffy and asked softly "vampires can fart?"  
  
Buffy shrugged her shoulders, "I dunno. I suppose so."  
  
Reluctantly after having been found out, Giles made his way carefully around Xander and bent down to check on Jenny, while still keeping a wary eye on the former Scooby lest he try anything while Giles was kneeling.  
  
"Don't worry G man. I just knocked her out, she'll be fine in the morning."  
  
Xander ignored the look of contempt he received from Giles and turned his attention back to Willow. "So how about it Will? Just take a few steps over here, and you'll never have any worries again. You'll be strong and beautiful forever, plus you won't have to worry about not having a tan" said Xander seemingly light-heartedly.  
  
Willow took two quick steps towards Xander, surprising Buffy who lost her albeit gentle hold on Willow's elbow. Xander's eyes sparkled as he realised he had won Willow over, and eventually he would get Buffy too. 'Can you say ménage a trois' he thought to himself.  
  
Just before Xander could take hold of Willow, she reached into her bag and pulled out an old wooden cross and stuck it right in Xander's face. Instinctively Xander pulled back and growled as his face vamped out. Willow took another half step towards him and said "you're an insult to the memory of Xander, you thing, you demon. You talk and act like him, but the real Xander would never hurt me. Get lost!"  
  
Xander took another few steps backward, shocked at the ferocity of Willow's attack. He quickly regrouped however, and bowed at the waist before saying pointedly "I'll be seeing you. Ladies, Giles.". Xander then turned and ran, gracefully leaping the fence and disappearing into the darkness. Neither Buffy or Giles made any attempt at pursuit, as Willow had fallen to one knee and was an absolute mess, crying and sobbing as the enormity finally hit her, Xander was gone.  
  
Buffy held Willow as she wept, whispering softly "it's ok, let it out Will. We'll do the spell and get him back, you'll see." It was another five minutes before Willow could stand up and compose herself enough to walk back to Giles' car. Finally her resolve had broken, and her emotions burst out like a dam exploding at full strength 


	10. Chapter 10

Chapter 10  
  
As Xander left the vicinity of his parents house, he wondered to himself what had gone wrong. It was pitch-perfect up till the time Willow had pulled the cross on him. Xander had to admit, he hadn't seen that coming. For a second there he really thought he'd convinced Willow to join him, but now it was obvious that wasn't going to happen. 'Oh well' Xander thought, 'I've asked nicely, next time I'll have to play rough.'  
  
The night was still quite early and Xander only now realised he was starving. He'd fed on Cordelia, but although she was a gourmet meal it wasn't exactly 'all you can eat'. 'Definitely nouvelle cuisine personified' thought Xander in amusement. He decided to head to the Bronze to try and pick up a snack. Because he hadn't missed a school day, having been taken by Drusilla on Friday night, Xander guessed that nobody would know of his disappearance and so he could mingle at the Bronze without causing alarm.  
  
Xander handed over his dollar and entered the Bronze, walking in looking cool and confident which caused him to get several appreciative looks he wouldn't otherwise have gotten. He looked around for a likely volunteer to help him with his growling stomach, when he noticed Harmony alone in the corner crying and nursing one of those girly alcoholic ciders. Xander made his way over and sat down next to her without a word.  
  
After a long moment, Harmony looked up at Xander, too upset to even tell him to get lost. Xander said to her sincerely "I'm sorry about Cordelia. I miss her too."  
  
Harmony sniffled but said nothing, instead taking a sip of her drink and wiping her nose. Xander took her hand in both of his and said to her "Look, I've been snooping around and I think I know who killed Cordy and where we can find him."  
  
This caught Harmony's attention and she looked up at Xander with vengeance in her eyes. She said simply "where?"  
  
Xander stood up and replied "follow me, it's not far".  
  
Harmony followed Xander out of the Bronze, something Aura thought unusual as she returned from the bathroom. 'Still, grief does funny things to people' thought Aura, unwilling to get involved at this time. She would however spread the word at school on Monday that Harmony had wasted no time in catching Cordelia's ex on the rebound after her death two days earlier, because gossip was currency and this was gold.  
  
Xander rounded the corner and headed towards the alley that the abandoned shop opened on to, and where he was sired the previous night. He turned to Harmony who was now having second thoughts and said "It's just in here, we'll look to see if he's there and then call the Police, ok".  
  
Harmony nodded, relieved that they wouldn't be confronting Cordelia's murderer directly. Xander stepped inside without a sound and beckoned for Harmony to follow. Reluctantly Harmony came inside and followed Xander's pointed finger to the far side of the room.  
  
"He's here" said Xander.  
  
"Where?" said Harmony, looking around.  
  
"Here" said Xander, and vamped out.  
  
Giles' Apartment  
  
The gang had been back at Giles' place for a few minutes, and Jenny had just come out of unconsciousness and was holding an ice pack on her forehead. The rest of the group were seated at Giles' dinner table looking thoroughly whipped.  
  
Giles stood and fidgeted with his glasses before speaking. "Buffy, I'm only going to say this once, but I think it needs to be said."  
  
"We will try the spell to return Xander's soul. But, if that doesn't work, you must be prepared to kill Xander. What you saw tonight was a demon in Xander's form, and it must be slayed. I know it's not going to be easy, but it's what must be done."  
  
"I know" said Buffy, still looking at the table. "But right now if there's a chance we can restore his soul, we should try that. We owe him that much. He saved my life last year Giles, and I'm going to make sure I pay him back."  
  
"Alright. We start work tomorrow. The book Jenny is waiting for is arriving by special delivery tomorrow morning. Come by after lunch, we'll start work then" said Giles, addressing Buffy and Willow. "Right now, I think you both should go home, get some rest. There isn't much we can do at this moment."  
  
Abandoned Shop Not far from the Bronze  
  
"I wouldn't do that if I were you" said the voice from the doorway.  
  
"Deadboy!" said Xander in an upbeat tone.  
  
"Speak for yourself" replied Angel. "You can let her go now".  
  
"Oooh, or what? You'll brood me to death? Scary!" mocked Xander.  
  
Angel pulled out a stake that was tucked into his pants. "I was thinking more along the lines of using this" and waved the stake around casually.  
  
Xander turned to face Angel and had his arm around Harmony's throat as she struggled to escape his grip. "Harmony for goodness sakes stop wriggling, you're giving me a woody" said Xander, which only increased her agitation.  
  
Xander turned his attention back to Angel. "You can stay right there deadboy, or I'll snap her neck so fast she'll be dead before you can take a step."  
  
"Either way in about thirty seconds you'll be able to fit into an ashtray" replied Angel, trying to goad Xander into fighting and forgetting about his hostage.  
  
"Well if it doesn't matter either way" said Xander, and ruthlessly wrenched Harmony's head so that her neck snapped like a twig. He pushed her corpse at Angel and ran up the stairs like a gazelle.  
  
Angel heard Harmony's neck break and knew she was dead before she left Xander's hands. He avoided her body and pursued Xander up the stairs as fast as he was able, but not fast enough. Angel got to the door of the room where Xander was sired only to catch a glimpse of Xander's feet as he dived out the window. Reluctantly Angel made his way back downstairs and out to a payphone to make an anonymous call to 911.  
  
After diving out the window Xander rolled expertly to his feet and sprinted away as fast as his legs would carry him. He desperately wanted to fight Angel now he was on roughly equal terms with him, but not while he was unarmed and Angel had a stake. One lucky thrust and it would have been all over. Nor would it have been wise to let Harmony out alive. It would only have put more pressure on his existence if the Police and most of Sunnydale High knew he had murdered Cordelia, even if they didn't know the full story of how he had killed her.  
  
Xander ran for a few more minutes until he was absolutely sure that he wasn't being followed. On the spur of the moment Xander decided to try a hunch. As he was already in the general area, it wouldn't take long to see if his luck had changed for the night. Gradually he made his way to the residence he was seeking, and after scanning the surrounding area and finding it empty he made his way up to the porch and rang the doorbell.  
  
After a few seconds the door opened. "Xander, nice to see you, although it's getting late."  
  
"Yes, sorry about that Mrs Summers, but it's kind of important. Is Buffy home?" asked Xander.  
  
"No, she's out with Willow, although she should be home anytime soon" replied Joyce.  
  
"That's good. Actually it's you I wanted to talk to. Is it alright if I come inside?"  
  
"Of course Xander, come on in" said Joyce, and opened the door wider so Xander could enter. 


	11. Chapter 11

Chapter 11  
  
Summers Residence Revello Drive  
  
As Xander entered the house Joyce turned around to head into the kitchen, assuming Xander would follow, which he did. Xander couldn't believe his luck. He could either turn Joyce, or better still use Joyce as a trade off for Buffy. Then he could turn Buffy and getting Willow would be no problem. All these thoughts raced through Xander's mind in the split second before Joyce's largest frying pan came slamming down on Xander's head.  
  
Mrs Summers turned in shock. "My God! Buffy what have you done! You said you were playing a trick on Xander, not trying to kill him."  
  
"Mum, I promise I will explain everything, but now we need to get something to tie Xander up with. He's not himself and he could hurt someone" said Buffy, trying to avoid the real explanation if possible.  
  
But Buffy's Mom was having none of it. "Honey whatever you think may be wrong with Xander, hitting him over the head with my best frying pan is not going to help. I'll call an ambulance."  
  
"No" shouted Buffy and Willow at the same time, "that really wouldn't do any good." Willow continued. She turned to Buffy and said with resignation "I think we need to tell your Mom."  
  
"Yes I think an explanation would be a wonderful idea" said Joyce, now exasperated.  
  
"Mom" said Buffy impatiently. "Do you trust me? I mean really, really trust me" asked Buffy seriously.  
  
Joyce, sensing Buffy's change in tone only got more worried, but kept calm and answered "Yes dear, I trust you."  
  
"Good" replied Buffy. "Trust me that we need to tie up Xander NOW, and then I'll sit down and tell you everything. After that if you think I've been too harsh on him, you can ground me till I'm 21."  
  
"Alright then. I have some masking tape in the closet, and then I can't wait to hear what you've got to say for yourself" said Mrs Summers. Meanwhile Willow went into the lounge room to make a phone call.  
  
Buffy spent the next few minutes using two rolls of thick masking tape to tie Xander firmly to the kitchen chair, and at the end he looked like a shiny version of an Egyptian mummy.  
  
Buffy turned to Willow "Ok, here goes. This is the tough part" and sat down on the lounge to begin the explanation.  
  
"Mom, I have just one request. If you think I'm crazy or talking garbage, just hear me out ok?" asked Buffy.  
  
"Anything you say dear" said Joyce, who really couldn't wait to see where her daughter was going with this one.  
  
"Mom, do you know how to feel for a pulse?" asked Buffy.  
  
"Yes, you know I did a first aid course before we moved here" replied Joyce, now a little confused.  
  
"Alright, feel my pulse then" said Buffy, reaching out her arm.  
  
Joyce pulled up Buffy's sleeve and immediately felt a strong, steady pulse. Buffy nodded and then said, "ok, now feel Xander's pulse."  
  
Joyce went over to Xander who was still unconscious and felt for a pulse on his right wrist, which extended beyond the arm of the chair.  
  
"I can't feel one. Maybe it's because you've got him trussed up like a Thanksgiving turkey" said Joyce.  
  
"Or maybe it's because he doesn't have one" said Buffy with a straight face.  
  
"Don't be silly dear, he has to have a pulse or he'd be dead" explained Joyce.  
  
"You don't know how right you are Mom. Xander IS dead" said Buffy.  
  
"Buffy please, don't talk nonsense" said her Mom.  
  
Buffy turned to Willow again "looks like phase two then. Have you got the Holy Water?"  
  
"Sure Buffy, it's right here" said Willow, and handed over the bottle.  
  
"Ok Mom, hold out your hand" asked Buffy. Joyce duly held out her hand and Buffy splashed some Holy Water on it, then did the same to her hand and to Willow's hand.  
  
"Now watch this" said Buffy, and splashed some on Xander's hand. Immediately there was the acrid smell of burning flesh and a sizzling noise like sausages on a barbeque.  
  
"Oh my goodness" said Joyce, shocked. "What did you do to Xander's hand?"  
  
"Mom, we sprinkled Holy Water on it, just the same as our own hands" said Buffy, hoping her Mom would start to catch on.  
  
Just then Xander began to regain consciousness, and Buffy thought to herself 'here's where the real fun begins'.  
  
Xander looked over at Mrs Summers and said innocently "Mrs Summers, please help me. Buffy and Willow have gone nuts, please help me out of here."  
  
To Joyce it sounded like what Xander was saying made more sense than her daughter, but before she could reply Buffy rose from her seat and put a cross up to Xander's face. Joyce watched in amazement and fear as she saw Xander's face transform into a hideous visage not out of place in a monster movie. Finally she believed her daughter that at least there was something seriously wrong with Xander.  
  
Willow moved to sit next to Buffy's Mom. "Mrs Summers, vampires are real. Xander is one of them." Just then the doorbell rang, and Buffy ran to get the door.  
  
Joyce slumped down in the sofa. "Oh dear Lord, I don't think I can take much more of this"  
  
Giles and Jenny entered the living room and looked at Xander tied up and growling, and then looked at Buffy's mom who looked like she was a few seconds away from a nervous breakdown. Buffy turned to Giles and said "thank goodness you're here. You need to do your spiel about the earth and the demons, cos I'm having NO luck explaining it."  
  
Giles was taken aback that Buffy had decided to tell her mother the truth, and looked at her as if to say 'are you sure?'  
  
Buffy caught Giles' meaning and said "well we've got a vampire in our living room. What does the handbook tell me I should do?" asked Buffy sarcastically, shrugging her shoulders.  
  
"Alright then Buffy, no need to be narky" said Giles with a forced smile, and sat down next to Joyce to begin what would be a lengthy explanation.  
  
Meanwhile, Willow and Jenny began their preparations in the kitchen to cast the spell that would return Xander's soul. 


End file.
